Another year has come and just about to go, we’re only just getting used to saying its 2016 and now thinking are we really about to enter 2017? In this blog I want to reflect on what has happened and what is yet to come.

Firstly, today is not only a day we welcome the new year but I celebrate the birthday of my eldest son Alfie and that’s where I want to start my blog from the very beginning and in fact that wasn’t when Alfie was born it was exactly a year before this. When I said goodbye to my Grandpa on New Years Eve, 2009 – Grandpda was a good old fashioned man teaching his good old fashion values on life, a man of few words but when spoke a lot was learnt and to this day I pass on his values to my family. I’m not religious but in my eyes, Alfie was our gift from Grandpa that he lives on.

In the closing of 2015 we sadly lost three family members in the blink of an eye of a month. A Nana and best friend, a woman of queen like stature, a Nana who knew best. Two Uncles and wise men, always on hand with bags of advice and personalities that would fill a whole room. Looking back now that alone is a lot to take in and process in such a small space of time. A time where they gracefully fell from our family tree, is the time you realise they are apart of what you live for – to keep their legacy burning, to cherish their memories in our heart, to stick to their traditions big or small.

As I’ve said I’m not the most religious person in the world but loved ones that are sadly no longer with us are the ones who guide us, keep us on the path that is set out before us and through the good and the bad they’ll be there supporting us more than ever before – they’re our gods , the ones we look up to.

One thing that Grandpa used to say when planting things on our family allotment and to this day something my Dad says is; ‘It has two options; to grow or not’. In life the majority of things boil down to this I think – its down to us to grow, stand up to the fight whatever that may be or just let the fight takeover and win. This year I faced, unbeknown to me, my greatest fear and as you know that was when we found out about Stanley’s Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis. Quite easily Cystic Fibrosis could take over but that’s not what we do, we grow, as a family we’ll grow much more than Cystic Fibrosis ever will.As we’ve said before Stanley is someone special, Cystic Fibrosis isn’t Stanley.

It’s human nature to instantly think ‘why me?’ when we’re dealt a cruel blow but quickly forget to say thank you in our moments of joy and look for the good in the bad. Happiness can be found, even in our darkest times, we just need to remember to turn on the light. I could easily ask why me? this year but that’s not something we focus on, we focus on the light. We were gifted our second boy, given the responsibility to guide and nurture him to be someone, something special regardless of the challenges that are ahead. As a parent I worry about what will become of tomorrow, what our boys will become, but today I’ll remember that they’re already someone and deal with the worries of tomorrow when it’s here.

Admittedly, Cystic Fibrosis each day is a battle – The daily physio treatments to get rid of any sitting mucus. The endless amounts of syringes filled with medicine and enzymes to keep Stanley ticking over as he should. Being on constant guard to any potential risks and bacteria that could harm Stanley. These are battles we’ll face and conquer, each battle won is a step closer to winning our war, a step closer to achieving the life unlimited for our boy. We know some battles will just be out of our control but that’s not to say it will dishearten us, it’ll make us stronger.

The meaning of Auld Lang Syne is; for the sake of old times. A time to remember and cherish old friendships, good deeds and toast health and good will for the year ahead. This time of year we remember the friendships made along the way and even before 2016 and cherish our loved ones past and present. Look back on the good deeds we’ve done and received and we can only hope for tomorrow that health and good will, will serve us well in 2017 and remember the memories we’ve made and look forward to the ones we’re about to make – for when we’re old and grey we’ll look back on them as the good old days. We all have our own story that we hold preciously, hold it tightly after all that’s what makes us and nothing else matters.

So today, I raise my cup o’kindness yet, for auld lang syne and tomorrow, we write on the very first blank page of a 365-page book – Let’s all write a good one!